Pharmacy Printer Network Centralized Label Content
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current pharmacy printing systems lack efficiency and reliability in providing information to consumers, and they are complex and costly to manage, especially in generating targeted medicine labels.
Innovation Solution
A networked computer system that includes a pharmacy printer capable of storing and selectively incorporating additional content into prescription labels based on codes, allowing centralized control and reduced complexity by determining relevant content for inclusion in label print jobs based on prescription order criteria.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If pharmacy printers generate targeted medicine labels with additional content locally, then the information delivery speed and reliability improve, but the device complexity and management costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
A centralized server acts as an intermediary between the pharmacy management system and the printers. The server receives prescription order criteria, determines the appropriate additional content to include, generates the complete print file, and transmits it to the printer. This mediator approach allows the printer to focus solely on execution while the complex decision-making logic resides on the centralized server, thus improving reliability without significantly increasing printer complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary determination of additional content on the centralized server before the actual printing occurs. By pre-processing the decision logic for what content to include based on prescription order criteria, the system ensures that the printer receives a complete, finalized print file ready for immediate printing. This preliminary action on the server side enhances information delivery reliability while keeping the printer's function relatively simple.
2Device complexity
If centralized control determines content for inclusion in label print jobs, then the system complexity reduces and costs decrease, but the information delivery speed may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The centralized server performs the content determination and print file generation as a preliminary action before transmitting to the printer. By completing all decision-making and content assembly in advance on the server side, the actual printing process can proceed quickly without delays for real-time decision-making at the printer. This approach simplifies system management while maintaining efficient information delivery speed.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the printer stores and selectively incorporates additional content based on codes, then the adaptability and targeting capability improve, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The centralized server serves as an intermediary that handles the complex logic of selectively incorporating additional content based on prescription order criteria. The server receives the criteria, determines which additional content codes to include, assembles the complete print file with appropriate content, and sends it to the printer. This approach provides high adaptability in content selection while keeping the printer's role relatively simple as an execution device.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention provides a network computer system and novel pharmacy printers and their methods of use wherein the local CS includes a pharmacy printer for printing pharmacy orders including prescriptions, and the pharmacy printer includes a pharmacy printer database storing drug information and association of a drug identifier with information about a corresponding drug, and additional information, and obtains and uses instructions for printing the additional information in association with printing of a prescription label from characters contained in a prescription label print file for the prescription label.